Jul 25, 2019

Physicians Insurance

Carlson

In Seattle, Physicians Insurance appointed Dr. David Carlson as board chair and Dr. Jordana Gaumond as a board member. Carlson is chief physician officer and senior vice president of provider enterprises at MultiCare Health System. Gaumond is a board-certified general surgeon at The Oregon Clinic in Portland, where she has practiced since 2015 and serves on its board. Physicians Insurance provides medical liability insurance and other services to over 8,500 members in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and Alaska.

Columbia Bank

Singer

Tacoma-based Columbia Bank hired Jeff Singer as senior vice president and regional manager for the Eugene, Oregon, market. For the past 23 years, Singer held multiple positions at Umpqua Bank, most recently as senior commercial relationship manager. He takes over for Denise Ghazal, who will retire in early 2020. Columbia Bank has branches throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

SDOT

Estey

Mike Estey of the Seattle Department of Transportation won the 2019 Parking Professional of the Year award from the International Parking & Mobility Institute. Estey manages parking programs for SDOT's Transit and Mobility Division. He helped expand the city's on-street paid parking program, implement a parking guidance system, and develop food truck permitting and business shuttle programs.

Porch

Seattle-based Porch acquired San Diego-Based HireAHelper.com, a moving services company. Terms of the deal were not announced. Porch is an online home improvement network connecting homeowners with qualified professionals. HireAHelper connects people with independent moving companies.

Jul 24, 2019

Rover.com

Bill Kong is the new chief marketing officer at Rover.com in Seattle. Kong has over 20 years of experience in product management and brand marketing, with an emphasis on direct-to-consumer business. He was chief growth officer at Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics, and executive vice president of product marketing and performance marketing services at CommerceHub. Rover.com provides pet sitters and dog walkers.

Itron

In Liberty Lake, Itron promoted Tom Deitrich to president, CEO and board member. Deitrich has been Itron's executive vice president and COO since October 2015 and will start his new roles on Aug. 6. He succeeds Philip Mezey, who announced his retirement earlier this year and will work with Deitrich on the transition. Itron is a technology and services company focused on energy and water.

Washington Federal Bank

Retired executive Linda Brower joined the board of Washington Federal, the parent company of Washington Federal Bank. Brower was executive vice president and chief administration officer at the bank from 2003 until her retirement in 2016. She has four decades of banking experience, including leadership roles at Bank of America and US Bank.

Amazon

Amazon Publishing signed author Dean Koontz for a five-book deal and a collection of six short thrillers. Thomas & Mercer will publish the first book “Devoted” next spring and “Nameless,” the short thriller collection, will be available this fall from Amazon Original Stories. Koontz's best-selling short story “Ricochet Joe” was published in late 2017 by Amazon Original Stories.

Fluke

Everett-based Fluke acquired Pruftechnik, a German provider of precision laser shaft alignment, condition monitoring and non-destructive testing. Terms of the deal were not announced. Fluke develops electronic test tools and software for measuring and monitoring.